Magnetic Memo Holders and Key Rings

Magnetic memo holders are not something to which we normally devote much thought, and in the grand scheme of things they may not count for a whole lot. But no one can deny that millions are currently in use around the world, performing their mundane jobs silently and reliably, day in and day out. Millions of additional memo magnets probably could be sold on an annual basis by imaginative and energetic entrepreneurs. Consider that every office needs them for attaching memos to metal file cabinets, and every household certainly needs them for sticking grocery lists, notes and the kids' school papers to the refrigerator door. Check out the housewares section or the office supplies section of any department store. There you will find magnetic memo holders, sometimes in a bewildering variety. Often they are cute or whimsical in design. Some people out there—people like you and me—earn a good living making refrigerator magnets that other people buy. Why not become a part of this trend? It's easy when you have thousands of giant clam shells accumulating at your farm or hatchery.

Three components are needed for memo holders: a clean clam shell about 5 centimeters long, a 1.5-centimeter circular magnet, which can be purchased from Ohio Ceramic Supply, and a dab of glue from your hot glue gun (Figure 36). Hundreds of memo holders can be made with no difficulty. Just set 100 clean shells concave side up on a work bench and glue the magnets to them. Leave some shells with the natural color and paint others with various colors of neon spray enamel. The best way to present them in the gift shop is to attach them to a vertical metal surface near the cash register. Try to find an exterior side panel from an old file cabinet or refrigerator. If none is available, buy a sheet of thin-gauge galvanized steel from your hardware store. The finished size should be about 18 inches wide by 24 inches tall. Spray paint it with a glossy white or black enamel and screw it to the wall in your gift shop.

Memo holders normally retail for only about $2 to $3 each. But no law says they must be sold individually. Six neon-colored, clam shell memo holders could be packaged into a zip-lock plastic bag and sold for $9.95 retail. Don't forget to put a sticker on the back of each shell or even on the magnet itself. This is a gift item that will be gladly received, and frequently used, by people of all ages.

Brightly painted clam shells can also be fashioned into key rings. Simply drill a small hole near the base of the painted shell using a 1/16-inch drill bit and use needle-nose pliers to attach the jump ring of a key ring blank, which can be purchased from River Gems.